By Emma Stainthorpe

Marketing Executive

Small businesses are able to get the most out of their online space by effectively using keywords and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). For your website to rank well, there should be certain criteria implemented throughout the copy and behind the scenes of your site. Search engines use formulas to analyse data – what you use determines how high up on the list you’ll be found.

Finding Suitable Keywords

Incorrectly inputting random keywords on and off your site will not get your website found. Search engines quickly scan through what you use, so it’s important to make sure that it’s done right. You should take the time to research what your target market is entering into the search bar when looking for a business like yours. Do you sell for luxury purposes or is it a necessity? Do you cater to males over the age of 45 or 21-year-old females? Establishing your audience will help you with the basis of your site, allowing you to properly use effective keywords.

There’s various online tools that enable you to search for what your audience is inputting into search engines. From this, you’ll be able to use these words or phrases within your own website.

Quality Over Quantity

Multiple keywords aren’t always the answer – in fact, using too many can harm your website. Instead, it is much more beneficial to use customer-focussed keywords and include these within the relevant SEO fields.

The same applies to the copy on your site. If something can be said in two sentences, there’s no need to drag it out and turn it into four or five. It’s always a good idea to try and fit your chosen keywords into the content of your site, as long as they don’t ruin the flow of your copy.

There’s much more that can be said about getting your website found on search engines, though making sure you’re using suitable keywords is a great place to start. Once this has been done, the next step is make sure you’ve created an online space that customers will return to time and time again.